When I hear someone mention the Super Bowl the first thing that springs to mind is cold. Seems to make logical sense since the game is played in the middle of the winter. Now, this year certainly isn’t the best example seeing as the game is being played in Tampa, FL where the temperature on game day is supposed to be in the high 60’s. Not exactly wintery. But, I’m guessing that a large portion of the viewers will be somewhere wintery. So this post goes out to you.

On a cold day there is nothing tastier than a well prepared bowl of chili. To be clear, I’m not talking about Chili Verde or Texas beef chili here. I’m talking all American chili with beans, meat and sauce. This dish fits our criteria perfectly since the initial prep is very minimal, it can cook all day on the stove or in a crock pot and is ready whenever folks are ready to eat.

Where to begin though? There are so many options. If I can be perfectly honest with you all, I generally wing it when I’m making chili. I buy some meat (beef, pork, turkey, chorizo, you name it), some beans (pinto usually) and some tomato sauce. I sautee up an onion, a couple peppers and some garlic. Add that mixture to my crock pot and add all the remaining ingredients. Then I start adding herbs and spices; chili powder, cayenne, cumin, oregano, and salt to name a few. Lid it up and let the whole deal cook for a while tasting it about once an hour and adjusting my seasoning appropriately. If it needs to be a bit thinner I’ll add some chicken stock, thicker, some tomato paste.

I’m guessing however, that my method isn’t going to help you make chili for the first time so here are a few recipes that I think look good.

There are tons of ways to make this dish all your own. Change up the meat; beef, pork, chicken, sausage, even faux meat, the sky truly is the limit on that one. Vary your beans; nearly any beans can make a good chili. Finally the most closely guarded secret of the chili masters is the spice blend. Add what you like, make it scorching hot, or mild but super flavorful.

Another take away from this post is that Chili isn’t the key here, its the class of food, stew/soup. There are a nearly endless number of recipes that you could make for the big game that would be just as easy to prep as this one. Maybe a beef stew, chicken chowder, seafood chowder, jambalaya, you name it. Hope this has inspired you to get your crock pot fired up.

Drop a comment below if you’ve got some awesome recipes I should know about. I’m always up for fantastic food.